Who else feels like they barely made it out of this week in tact? We made it out, and that’s what matters!
The midterms are finally (almost over), and it’s medically advised that we take a second to breathe after that rollercoaster. After all, how do we process watching Katy go Caruso, that wild “Slavery Banned” banner out of Tennessee, or finding out that Kellyanne is still kickin’?
Why, with music of course! These recent drops have all the vibey goodness you need to turn your brain for a bit. Don’t worry, they’ll be back to Monday morning in no time.
From diamond days to stardom slays, here’s your weekly bop roundup!
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Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“Star Baby” by RuPaul
Who needs lyrics when you have star quality? If Bebe Zahara Benet can win the All Stars 3 girl group challenge with vague “Jungle Kitty” vocalizing, we can bliss out to this lowkey dance instrumental. Whether this track is virtually wordless so that a few contestants can add verses to it for an upcoming Drag Race challenge is yet to be determined.
“A Kind Thing To Do” by Cavetown feat. Vic Fuentes
If you had acoustic transmasc indie star Cavetown and Pierce The Veil’s Vic Fuentes collabing on your musical bingo card, raise your hand. The ease of Robbie’s lines paired with the reaching, revelatory Fuentes vocals turn this pair into something unique for both of their catalogues.
“Thunder” by Madison Rose
Rising pop phenom Madison Rose snatched up a whole new batch of admirers with her energetic Technicolor album drop back in May. Now, she’s hit the girls with a deluxe edition sure to grab anyone who somehow didn’t get on the train the first go round. The fact that tracks like “Thunder” and “Chemistry” didn’t make the first cut just reinforces how quality the originals are.
“HEADDOWN” by Deney Adam
Celebrity makeup artist Deney Adam, known to paint the likes of Susanne Bartsch, Rina Sawayama, and Charli XCX, is done with the behind-the-scenes scene. It’s a simple pop-r&b moment with a “Baby, let me love you” hook, but Adam’s voice and charisma keep it out of “overdone” territory and firmly in “tried and true”. If anything, it’s refreshing to have a modern r&b act lean unabashedly into what he himself calls “baby making music”.
“Diamond Life” by Leo Kalyan feat. MNEK
How many times must we type the words “maximizing their joint slay”? The minute it stops applying, we’ll stop doing it. Unfortunately, this South-Asian nonbinary musician making their comeback single with star producer and old friend MNEK absolutely qualifies. With alluring vocals, a “your power’s inside you” message, and a nod to Sade, these two did what they needed to do.
Join us back here next week for another bop after bop!
abfab
Once upon a time, there was a little black girl, in the Brewster Projects of Detroit, Michigan. At fifteen, she was spotted by an Ebony Fashion Fair talent scout and her modeling career took off
You better work.